What You Can Do
Food packaging is the biggest source of exposure to the hormone disrupting chemicals BPA and bis(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) in children and adults. If you avoid canned food consumption, you avoid the major source of bisphenol exposure. The alternative to canned fruits and vegetables is seasonal and fresh produce that you can then freeze and consume at a later date. Note, I appreciate there are some accessibility issues caused by the pandemic, so if you must buy frozen fruits/veggies, that is fine.
And, of course, the existence of food deserts for certain economically disadvantaged groups presents the same challenge. (While out of the scope of this conversation, it is something I believe needs to be addressed at the local, state, and federal levels.)
Other ways to protect you and your family from being exposed to BPA and its sisters includes:
By trying your best to eliminate BPA-like products from your lifestyle, you can lower the amount of BPA in your bloodstream within even a few days.
Don’t Underestimate the Power of Whole Foods
According to new research published in Environmental Health Perspectives, conducted by Silent Spring Institute and Breast Cancer Fund, it shows that a fresh food plant-based diet significantly reduces levels of BPA and phthalates after just three days.
The research team assessed BPA and DEHP levels in adults and children from five families by testing their urine before, during, and after a three-day fresh whole foods plant-based diet. (Please note, urinary excretion is the most common way our bodies get rid of these chemicals). After the three day diet, participants continued to eat organic meals with no canned food and minimal plastic packaging of foods and beverages. They also shifted from storing food in plastic containers as historically done and switched to glass and stainless steel containers.
While families were consuming the fresh food plant based meal plan, average levels of BPA in urine decreased by over 60% and DEHP metabolites (i.e. the breakdown products of phthalates) dropped by over 50%. Reductions were even more pronounced for those with the highest exposures of these toxins historically with BPA levels decreasing by over 70% and over 90% for DEHP. When individuals went back to their conventional standard American diets, these levels quickly returned back to pre-intervention levels.
Takeaway: The research team provides compelling evidence that removing canned food, plastic food and beverage packaging, animal protein and refined foods wrapped in plastic along with microwaving in plastic containers dramatically reduces exposure to BPA, DEHP, and other phthalates in adults and children.
The reason why: because any level of exposure to these phthalates causes significant damage to the brain, nervous system and reproductive organs along with causing detrimental hormonal imbalances. In fact, 3 of the 5 phthalates measured, including DEHP, are now banned under Europe’s REACH regulation because they cause reproductive toxicity.
Silent Spring Institute measured BPA and DEHP in household air and dust in 170 homes in its ongoing Household Exposure Study, and DEHP was detected in 100% of homes tested. This finding should be the wake-up call to families to begin the process of removing the aforementioned items from their homes. Furthermore, industry and government must enact big-picture solutions that eliminate harmful chemicals from food packaging and protect public health. Until then, it’s up to us.
While the research unfolds and the case against BPA and phthalates grows stronger, there are several precautionary steps individuals can take to reduce their exposures to BPA and DEHP, including avoiding canned food and plastic packaging, cooking more plant-based fresh whole food meals at home, and using glass and stainless steel containers to store food.
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References
Rudel, R.A, J.M. Gray, C.L. Engel, T.W. Rawsthorne, R.E. Dodson, J.M. Ackerman, J. Rizzo, J.L. Nudelman, J.G. Brody. 2011. Food packaging and bisphenol A and bis(2-ethyhexyl) phthalate exposure: Findings from a dietary intervention. Environmental Health Perspectives, 119:914-920. doi:10.1289/ehp.1003170
Rudel, R.A, J.M. Ackerman, R.E. Dodson. 2011. Dietary Intervention and DEHP Reduction: Rudel et al. Respond. Environmental Health Perspectives, 119(9):a380-a381. doi:10.1289/ehp.1103852R
